Bonum Certa Men Certa

With Novell's OOXML Support, Microsoft Lobbies and Deceives in the Philippines

When deception gets named "business as usual"

Remember CompTIA's OOXML lobbying in the Philippines? It is yet another Microsoft lobby by proxy that is pretty recent (November 2007). Well, this charade is far from over and it even goes further than this. Recall our recent writings about Microsoft lobbying in the Philippines. According to the press in the Philippines, Microsoft tries to characterise OOXML as an 'open standard' and it even uses Novell as an example of OOXML support.

Other vendors supporting openXML are Apple, Intel, Novell and Toshiba, among others, Microsoft said.


Let's quickly review those candidates, shall we?

  1. Apple is an interesting situation because the company made several deals with Microsoft, even recently. This included cross-licensing and we have already debated the effects of it on OOXML.


  2. Novell, as well already know, must support OOXML because its cash infusion from Microsoft made it a condition. This is one case among several where Microsoft literally bought OOXML from competing players in industry, but this type of purchase was made too subtle to attract attention and bring scrutiny.


  3. Toshiba is Microsoft's Zune partner and HD-DVD partner. We already witnessed some ugly stories where Microsoft is claimed to have virtually bribed studios to embrace HD-DVD at Blu-ray's expense. The accusations have no 'smoking gun' to show, but fairly compelling evidence is around (even from the New York Times). There is no place for ethics in such format 'wars'.


  4. Intel needn't have further explanation here. Just watch the OLPC update which was posted here a couple of hours ago. Those two companies, Microsoft and Intel, always work in tandem.


Corel, as well 3 Linux companies which have all signed 'protection' deals with Microsoft, could be added to that list. Thanks to the GNOME Foundation, even a Free software project can now be described as "support".

It is natural to assume that yet again, Microsoft not only spins OOXML (the company's lies about OOXML are well-documented in this Web site), but it also 'buys' mindshare from companies which then serve as mutual proxies.

There is much more going on in the Philippines. Days ago we mentioned Microsoft's ambition to blur the difference between 'open source' and Microsoft's new, self-serving definition of 'open'. They do this again, as reported just a couple of days ago by the local Filipino news.

Although declining to give details, the local executives said the Microsoft open source network lab will test the interoperability of the company's products, including the new operating system Vista, with other environments


Mind the fact that this appears to have nothing to do with open source, and certainly not with Free software. They still strive to hijack approved definitions and exclude Free software to impose patent tax.

Matt Asay seems to have responded to this article as well:

If I moved there, though, would I have to drink Microsoft's Kool-Aid like the Microsoft Philippines country manager has?


One reference comes to mind here. It's about Microsoft's perception that it owns the industry.

Recent Techrights' Posts

Bailing Out GAFAM, Giving Taxpayers' Money to Failing Companies, and Trying to Outlaw Lawsuits Against Them
What would the late Lincoln have said?
 
The Register MS Has Apparently Shut Down Its Office
It is basically a fake address on the face of it
There Are Also Expectations of IBM Layoffs Very Soon With "Narrative Control."
Some of them mention Red Hat and how IBM failed to achieve anything substantial with that acquisition
After at Least Two Rounds of Mass Layoffs in August Microsoft Said to Have "September Layoff Confirmed - Performance Based"
Those "M5 level meetings" sound plausible
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Monday, August 25, 2025
IRC logs for Monday, August 25, 2025
Slopwatch: Slopfarms All Over Google News and Real News Sites Pushed Out of Visibility
Google News is dying (as a tool of value)
Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Numeric-only VM and Alhena 5.3.0
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: ‘Panama Playlists’ and Live Nation/Ticketmaster Suit Aims at Class Action
Links for the day
Gemini Links 25/08/2025: Empathy Towards Autistic People and Old Gadgets
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Datacentres Versus Water Supplies and "The IPv6 Divide"
Links for the day
Links 25/08/2025: Data Breaches, Politics, and Financial Strain
Links for the day
GNU/Linux Distros Ought to Replace Firefox (and Firefox ESR) With Something Like LibreWolf
Perhaps it's come to replace Firefox
Father of Julian Assange Said the US Government Was Trying to Bankrupt WikiLeaks, Now the Assange Family Promotes Fake Currencies
Using the name for bad purposes?
Software Freedom Conservancy (SFC) Inc. Lost 2 Million Dollars Last Year and Its Chief Took a Salary Increase of Almost $6,000
Another year or two like this... and the SFC will be bankrupt [...] Hallmark of mismanagement
The "New Techrights" Turns Two Very Soon
Accomplishing something each year is what's important, not merely "finishing" another year
Gulf Nations Leave Microsoft Behind
How much lower will Microsoft stoop in an effort to raise money from oil-rich lenders?
How to Combat IRC Trolls (in Our Experience)
Today I want to share my experience (or knowledge) of how to deal with IRC trolls
The Register MS Needs to Stop Participating in the "Hey Hi" (AI) Hype, But It Gets Paid to Participate in This Hype
the publisher (The Register MS) wants to have it both ways
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Living With Your Parents, Zürich Zoo, and Macondo
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Sunday, August 24, 2025
IRC logs for Sunday, August 24, 2025
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Signal on OpenBSD and Keyboard Layouts Compared
Links for the day
Men Who Abuse Women Should Never Spend Over 3 Years of the UK High Court's Time
This demonstrates that we need a reform in the UK
Links 24/08/2025: Microsoft Settles Data Breach Lawsuits and Climate Change Causes Heatwaves, Water Shortages
Links for the day
CachyOS is Rising Fast, But Slopfarms Are 'Googlebombing' It
CachyOS receives more media attention
No Reason for Red Hat Relief Yet (Layoff Rumours)
the execution could be stalled, delayed, or scheduled for some time after people come back from holiday
GNU/Linux 6%, Windows 60% in Venezuela, Suggests statCounter
The cash cows are dying
Mass Layoffs Continue at Microsoft This Month (Remaining Workers See Conditions That Deteriorate)
So far this month (one week remaining) we saw at least two waves of layoffs at Microsoft
How SPAM E-mails With Windows-Centric Files Get Twisted as Linux Threats, Then Slopfarms Spread the Word
Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt/Fear-mongering/Dramatisation
Links 24/08/2025: Heatwaves Threaten Workers, Maldives Versus Press freedom
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Digital Cameras and Printers
Links for the day
Links 24/08/2025: GAFAM Lie About Pollution and Slop's Carbon Footprint, The Guardian Says Slop ("Hey Hi") is a Bubble That Will Send Stock Markets Into a Freefall
Links for the day
80% of the Sponsored (Fake) Articles in The Register MS Are Promotions of Ponzi Schemes (Unethical Money), the Rest is Banned Chinese Business
Is that an ethical way to make money? No.
The UEFI Restricted Boot 'Time Bomb' is About to Go Off in a Few Weeks
Garrett was the first person to face sanctions (like muting) in our IRC channels because of his abuse; worse yet, he hijacked other people's names and then locked them out of their own accounts
Should Currys PCWorld Start Voiding Warranties of Users of Vista 11?
If a person's laptop has a mechanical issue, should this person replace GNU/Linux with Vista 11 for the repair shop? Only to damage the SSD?
Newer is Not Always Better, and It's Possible That 'Peak' is the Past
People creating their own platforms means progress, whereas centralisation (like moving from blogs to social control media) is the opposite of progress
LLM Hype is Sowing Destruction: It Contributes to DDoS Attacks and Makes the Web Less Accessible (JavaScript "R U Human?" Tests)
If it was googlebot, it would be possible to argue that you'd at least then get referral traffic from Google Search. With LLMs, all you get is plagiarised.
Links 24/08/2025: New York Times Talks About Hey Hi (AI) Bubble
Links for the day
Gemini Links 24/08/2025: Upgrading Debian and Mobile-indifferent Design
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Saturday, August 23, 2025
IRC logs for Saturday, August 23, 2025